Magic welcome 76ers to Amway Center
Basketball Betting Lines
02/15/2012 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic eye a third straight win this evening
when they welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to Amway Center.
Orlando has started to play its best basketball of the season, yet the last
two games it hasn't had to rely on All-Star center Dwight Howard. On Monday,
Jason Richardson had 17 points and was one of six Magic players to score in
double figures, as Orlando took down the Minnesota Timberwolves, 102-89.
Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick and Hedo Turkoglu finished with 14 points apiece
and Ryan Anderson added 13 for the Magic, who have won six of their last eight
games.
"We're sharing the ball a lot more and doing a lot of good things on defense,"
explained Richardson of the Magic's recent success.
Howard, meanwhile, scored 11 points to go with seven boards in the victory. It
was the second straight 11-point game for the Magic superstar, who insists he
is not frustrated despite comments to the contrary over the weekend.
"I just want everybody on my team to have confidence in me. I don't think
that's bad ... it's not saying, 'Me, me,'" Howard said.
Orlando will conclude a three-game homestand on Friday against Milwaukee. It
is 10-6 at home on the year.
Philadelphia has also won two in a row following a win over the hapless
Charlotte Bobcats on Monday. Lou Williams scored 23 points and fellow reserve
Thaddeus Young added 20 to help the 76ers get past the struggling Bobcats,
98-89.
Nikola Vucevic contributed to the Sixers' solid bench effort with eight points
and 10 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday scored 19 points in the victory, Philly's
second straight.
Leading by five entering the final minute, the Sixers sealed the win with an
inside bucket by Vucevic and deep three-pointer by Williams. The win was
Philly's first in Charlotte since January 26, 2008.
"Williams hitting that big three against the [shot] clock was the dagger,"
Sixers head coach Doug Collins said.
The Sixers beat the Magic back on January 30 to snap a three-game losing
streak to them. Philly, which has won just twice in the last 13 meetings in
this series, has lost seven of its last eight in Orlando.
<< Thunder make a stop in Houston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oklahoma City makes a quick trip down to south Texas on
Wednesday to take on the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
The Thunder improved to an NBA-best 22-6 on Tuesday in OKC, topping Utah for
the second time in four
<< Mavs host Nuggets in Big D
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki has finally started to heat up and the Dallas
Mavericks will try to ride their superstar to a fifth straight victory when
they host the Denver Nuggets tonight in Big D.
Nowitzki had an uncharacteristicall
<< Hawks continue road trip at Phoenix
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta will resume a five-game road trip tonight in the
desert when it takes on a Phoenix Suns team finishing up a tough three games
in three nights stretch.
The Hawks, who will also visit Portland, Chicago and New
<< Blazers take on Warriors without Aldridge
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers will be without All-Star forward
LaMarcus Aldridge tonight when they square off with the surging Golden State
Warriors in Oakland.
Aldridge sprained his left ankle early in Portland's 124-
<< Wizards seek third straight road win against Clippers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards will try to extend a rare road
winning streak when they face off with an LA Clippers team returning to SoCal
for the first time in nearly two weeks.
The Wizards have opened up a five-game t
Panthers give D Strachan one-year extension >>
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers signed defenseman Tyson
Strachan to a one-year contract extension on Wednesday.
Strachan has one goal and two assists in eight games this season for the
Panthers.
The 27-year-o
Cavs resume lengthy homestand vs. reeling Pacers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers will play their fourth game on a
lengthy nine-game homestand tonight, when they entertain the Central Division-
rival Indiana Pacers from Quicken Loans Arena.
Cleveland is in the midst of the longes
Wildcats and Hoosiers mix it up in Big Ten action >>
Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big Ten Conference rivals square off in
Bloomington this evening, as the Northwestern Wildcats have come calling on
the 18th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers.
Northwestern comes in sporting a 15-9 overall record, wh
Lions visit Gaels in pivotal WCC clash >>
Moraga, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 21st-ranked Saint Mary's-CA Gaels put their
perfect home record on the line for the final time this season, as they
entertain the Lions of Loyola Marymount in a West Coast Conference clash
tonight at McKeon Pav
Lobos head to San Diego to take on 13th-ranked Aztecs >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Entering the week there were three teams tied
atop the Mountain West Conference standings and two of those programs go up
against each other tonight, as the 13th-ranked San Diego State Aztecs
entertain the New M
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
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